Chennai: The current session of the Tamilnadu Assembly will come to an end tomorrow (24 March) instead of 31 March as announced earlier.
As per the originally plan, the session was to go on till 9 April. However, it was cut-short to 31 March due to the outbreak of coronavirus. Today, it was decided to curtail it further to 24 March.
Earlier in the day, main opposition DMK and its allies including the Congress on Monday said they will boycott the ongoing Assembly session considering people’s safety and to facilitate the stay of MLAs in their respective constituencies in view of the coronavirus scare in the State.
Leader of Opposition and DMK president M K Stalin in a letter to Speaker P Dhanapal said the session was being held contravening the government’s campaign of social distancing to combat the spread of coronavirus.
The decision to boycott was taken considering people’s safety and considering public good to facilitate MLAs to be in their respective constituencies who are in fear of the virus, he said.
”I believe the DMK’s boycott move will help in attracting the attention of the government towards preventive steps,” he said.
DMK whip R Sakkarapani, Congress legislature party leader K R Ramasamy and IUML MLA K A M Muhammed Abbubacker told reporters at the Secretariat that their parties will boycott the session.
They said the decision was taken after their repeated pleas to the government to defer the proceedings went unheeded. Sakkarapani said the move was amid the scare of spread of coronavirus in Tamilnadu when more people were approaching hospitals in several towns.
Upgrade for 41,133 anganwadi centres
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami today announced that Rs 12.34 crore would be sanctioned to carry out repair and maintenance works in 41,133 anganwadi centres in the State.
Making a slew of announcements in the Assembly under Rule 110, he said furniture would be provided to 10,888 anganwadi centres at a cost of Rs 10.59 crore. He also announced welfare measures for the differently-abled and backward, most-backward and minority communities.